Ruckus Wireless Inc. has begun pitching telcos a wireless-router multimedia home networking solution based on its �BeamFlex� directional-antenna technology. Current in-home Wi-Fi solutions suffer from inadequate range, spotty coverage, interference and performance fluctuations, even for data, Ruckus vice president of products Dave Logan said. Delivering video using IPTV only complicates matters. But Ruckus� BeamFlex technology constantly looks for the best signal path between devices in the home and steers RF signals around interference, Logan said, identifying and prioritizing traffic for transmission. At 25 to 35 feet, Ruckus can transmit 25 megabits per second to 30 mbps through one to two walls, Logan said. At 50 to 75 feet, and three to four walls, Ruckus can achieve 18 to 20 mbps, he added. Ruckus installs a main router next to the digital-subscriber-line modem, then adapters at each consumer device, such as the IPTV set-top. Hong Kong operator PCCW Ltd. is the first customer for the service, Logan said, with most of the current interest coming from Asian and European operators.
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...